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Elite City 7s Schedule, Format Released

June 3, 2014, 12:27 pm
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This weekend's Elite City 7s should offer American fans the chance to see some of the best players in the country and a new format for a 7s tournament. Rather than a straight pool play followed by a knock-out round tournament the Elite City 7s matches teams up in the first round but then sorts them according to wins and losses after that. After those two rounds teams will then be reseeded for day two. So if a team wants to finish in the top four after Friday's two rounds they need to win their opening match and then win their second match. However, that only applies to three of the four teams. The fourth team will have lost their second match but have the highest point differential among the four 1-1 teams.

Take the jump to read more.
The first round pairings include Seattle vs. Salt Lake, Philadelphia vs. Boston, Denver vs. Dallas, Chicago vs. Ohio, San Francisco vs. Houston, and San Diego vs. D.C. Base on this Seattle, Denver, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, and Boston are favorites to advance.

On day two the bottom eight teams will be seeded against one another and the four winners will then be matched against the top four teams. All matches are schedule to be shown on USARugbyTV.

Here is the schedule:

Friday

Match 1 (5:00 p.m. ct): Seattle vs. Salt Lake
Match 2 (5:20): Philadelphia vs. Boston
Match 3 (5:40): Denver vs. Dallas
Match 4 (6:00): Chicago vs. Ohio
Match 5 (6:20): San Francisco vs. Houston
Match 6 (6:40): San Diego vs. DC
Break
Match 7 (7:20): L-1 vs. L-2
Match 8 (7:40): W-1 vs. W-2
Match 9 (8:00): L-3 vs. L-4
Match 10 (8:20): W-3 vs. W-4
Match 11 (8:40): L-5 vs. L-6
Match 12 (9:00): W-5 vs. W-6

Seeding for Saturday Morning
1st Best PD of W-8, W-10, W-12
2nd 2nd-Best PD of W-8, W-10, W-12
3rd 3rd-Best PD of W-8, W-10, W-12
4th Best PD of L-8, L-10, L-12
5th 2nd-Best PD of L-8, L-10, L-12
6th 3rd-Best PD of L-8, L-10, L-12
7th Best PD of W-7, W-9, W-11
8th 2nd-Best PD of W-7, W-9, W-11
9th 3rd-Best PD of W-7, W-9, W-11
10th Best PD of L-7, L-9, L-11
11th 2nd-Best PD of L-7, L-9, L-11
12th 3rd-Best PD of L-7, L-9, L-11

Saturday

Match 13 (9:00): 8th vs. 9th
Match 14 (9:20): 5th vs. 12th
Match 15 (9:40): 7th vs. 10th
Match 16 (10:00): 6th vs. 11th
Break
Match 17 (11:00): 1st vs. W-13
Match 18 (11:20): 4th vs. W-14
Match 19 (11:40): 2nd vs. W-15
Match 20 (12:00): 3rd vs. W-16
Match 21 (12:20): L-13 vs. L-14 (9th-12th place)
Match 22 (12:40): L-15 vs. L-16 (9th-12th place)
Break
Match 23 (1:40): W-17 vs. W-18
Match 24 (2:00): W-19 vs. W-20
Match 25 (2:20): L-17 vs. L-18 (5th-8th place)
Match 26 (2:40): L-19 vs. L-20 (5th-8th place)
Break
Match 27 (3:40): L-23 vs. L-24 (3rd/4th)
Match 28 (4:00): W-23 vs. W-24 (1st/2nd)
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Eagles Abroad: Weekend Review

June 3, 2014, 2:26 pm
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Eagles Abroad is brought to you by Grubber, makers of fine sporting apparel. 

It's been a great two weeks for Samu Manoa and Northampton. First they took home the Amlin Challenge Cup and then this last week they earned the Premiership title with an extra time win over Saracens. For Chris Wyles and Saracens it's a disappointing way to end the season with two straight finals losses. Both players will be involved with the Eagles this week as they play Scotland. In the RaboDirect Pro12 neither Folau Niua nor Carlin Isles were in the Glasgow team that lost to Leinster. The only American left in Europe with matches is John Quill. He is hoping London Welsh secure promotion with a win on Wednesday.  That said, in the Southern Hemisphere a number of players are seeing time. 

Take the jump to read more.
British Isles:

Aviva Premiership 

Samu Manoa started and played 56 minutes for Northampton while Cam Dolan was not in the line-up for Northampton as they beat Saracens 24-20 in the Aviva Premiership final on Saturday. Chris Wyles came off the bench and played 24 minutes plus extra time for Saracens while Titi Lamositele and Hayden Smith were not in the line-up.

Blaine Scully, Pasqualle Dunn and Leicester have finished their season. Dunn was recently let go by the team.

Andrew Suniula and London Wasps have finished their season.

RaboDirect Pro12

Neither Folau Niua nor Carlin Isles were in the Glasgow line-up as they lost to Leinster 34-12 on Saturday in the championship match.  


Dave Ryan and Zebre have finished their season. Ryan is moving to Ulster next season.

Callum Black and Ulster have finished their season.

Hanno Dirksen and the Ospreys have finished their season.

James Hilterbrand and Edinburgh have finished their season.

RFU Championship

Eric Fry, Robbie Shaw, and London Scottish have finished their season. Fry is moving to Newcastle next year.

Neither John Quill nor Toby L'Estrange were in the line-up for London Welsh as they beat Bristol 27-8 in the first leg of their RFU Championship final last Wednesday. They play the second leg this Wednesday.  L'Estrange is out with a broken leg.

Ronnie Mclean, Will Magie, and Ealing have finished their season. Ealing were relegated. 

National League 1

Tom Bliss and Loughborough have finished their season. Bliss is moving to the London Wasps Senior Academy next season.

Tom Coolican and Richmond have finished their season. 

Other

Jared Stewart is a member of the Newcastle academy. 

All Ireland League

Pierce Dargan, Conor Kearns, Colton Cariaga, and Trinity (Dublin University) have finished their season.
Ross Deacon, Gearoid McDonald and Landsdowne have finished their season.

Liam Murphy and Clontarf have finished their season.

Liam Bourke and UCD have finished their season.

France:

Top 14

Taku Ngwenya and Biarritz have finished their season. Biarritz were relegated to the Pro D2.

Scott LaValla and Stade Francais have finished their season.  

Pro D2

Seta Tuilevuka and Beziers have finished their season.

Luke Hume and Narbonne have finished their season.

Inaki Basauri and Tarbes have finished their season. 

Federale 1

Mate Moeakiola and L’Uson have finished their season.

Roland Suniula and Vienne have finished their season. Suniula is moving to Chalon next season.

Italy:

Eccellenza

Nick Civetta and Lazio have finished their season.

Japan:

Top League

Todd Clever and the NTT Shining Arcs are in pre-season training.

Anthony Estrella and Toshiba Fuchu Brave Lupus are in pre-season training.

Australia:

Super Rugby

Marcel Brache was not in the lineup for Western Force as they lost to the Crusaders 30-7 last Friday. 

Shute Shield

Tyler Spitz and Eastwood lost to Manly 42-22 last Friday.

Roman Wilson and Eastern Suburbs lost to Souths 34-12 last Friday. Wilson was with the 4th grade side.

Canberra Competition

Patrick Latu and Easts lost to Vikings 92-0 on Saturday.

South Africa:

Varsity Shield

Brian Guillen and the TUT Vikings have finished their Varsity Shield season.

New Zealand:

Canterbury RU

Chris Saint is training and playing with Sumner.

Michelle Wong is training and playing with Sydenham.

JJ Autele and Lomani Tongotongo are training and playing with Maungarua.

Josh Ricke, Sani Taylor, and Thomas Ray are training and playing with the Wellington Axemen.

Bitsy Cairns is playing and training with Oriental Rongatai.

Canada:

BC Premier League

Nick Wallace, Graham Harriman, and James Bay have finished their season.
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New York, Ontario Offer Super 7s Reaction

June 3, 2014, 3:37 pm
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According to the participants in the debut exhibition of Super 7s in America last weekend the format has a lot of promise and could be something that might catch on with the general fanbase. That said, both members of the Ontario Blues and the New York staff felt there could be a few tweaks that would make the format exciting.

One of the biggest fears heading into the match was that by the fourth quarter play would deteriorate. However, according to New York coach Steve Lewis that didn't happen to the degree anticipated.  The tactic played out evenly at first with both teams ending the first quarter tied at 12-12. Ontario then owned the second quarter, New York the third, and then Ontario the fourth.

Take the jump to read more.

In the end players minutes distribution for the New York side were fairly even. Morgan Findlay received the most minutes for New York with only 28 while the players that saw the least time were on for 13 minutes. The substitution patterns varied with Ontario rotating their guys early and often while New York was a bit more patient. If the format continues teams will work out what works best.

Overall the players liked the format. Mark Winokur from the Blues commented to TIAR that the level of competition was pretty good although it wasn't always traditional 7s. He also added that his team had only trained together twice as a 7s team and only one of their players had played Super 7s before.

If there were recommendations for changing the format it would be to lengthen halftime, and possibly lengthen the quarter breaks and the number of players. Both Lewis and Winokur thought that the format had a lot of promise and that if it was backed it could catch on with fans. 
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Steinberg Selects Women Eagles Roster For UK Tour

June 3, 2014, 4:44 pm
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Women Eagles head coach Pete Steinberg has selected his 30 woman roster for his team's tour of the UK. 10 players have been selected as non-traveling reserves. The team will play England twice and Wales once in their final preparation before the World Cup. The roster was selected after a recent 50 woman camp in which the team scrimmaged against themselves in a probables vs. possibles match.

Some of the standout players to make the team include Jamie Burke, Meya Bizer, Deven Owsiany, Shaina Turley, Hope Rogers, Sadie Anderson and others. There are also a few names on the roster that are still young but are capable of breaking out. The team will have to gel early with only a few warm-up matches remaining.

Take the jump to read more.
Squad: Bui Akilani, Sadie Anderson, Katy Augustyn, Meya Bizer, Sharon Blaney, Stacy Bridges, Jamie Burke, Emilie Bydwell, Erica Cavanaugh, Sarah Chobot, Kate Daley, Lauren Daly, Carmen Farmer, Lynelle Kugler, Nathalie Marchino, Vanesha McGee, Deven Owsiany, Samantha Pankey, Jillion Potter, Naima Reddick, Hope Rogers, Kim Rozer, Hannah Stolba, Jocelyn Tseng, Shaina Turley, Kittery Wagner, Sarah Walsh, Caroline White, Sarah Wilson

Non-traveling Reserves: Jessica Davis, Katie Dowty, Amanda Kingzett, Ashley Kmiecik, Tess Kohanski, Jenn Lui, Amy Naber, Anne Peterson, Christy Ringgenberg, Amanda Street
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CRC Wrap-Up

June 3, 2014, 9:20 pm
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In the wake of some of the more negative takes on the state of the CRC, it felt important to remember to acknowledge all the good that this tournament brings as well. So for this article, there will be no discussion of poor coverage, or of poor competition. Instead this will simply be a celebration of a few of things that were great about this year’s CRC.

Most Pleasant Surprise

By far the biggest and most pleasant surprise of the tournament was the extremely high level of play that Michigan displayed all weekend. Entering the tournament little was known about how Michigan would be able to compete on such a big stage. Michigan had never previously played in the CRC and despite solid results in several 7s tournaments, a loss in the Big 10 7s tournament had raised doubts about if they would be able to hang with top competition. Nevertheless they quickly put those fears to rest. All weekend long they displayed a physical and punishing style of rugby, which combined with their fundamentally sound team defense, led them to go undefeated in pool play. Unfortunately for Michigan, in the quarterfinals they ran into the one team in the tournament that was perhaps even more physical than they were in Kutztown. Although they fought valiantly, they simply did not have the explosiveness required on offense to beat such a strong team and fell 14-0. Despite the loss they certainly proved they will be a program to watch out for in future years of 7s competition.

Take the jump to read more
Most Explosive Players

Although there were several deserving candidates for this award, two players in particular consistently stood out. One, UCLA’s Sebastian Sharpe, was already well known to CRC fans. He was named to the All-CRC team a year ago but arguably had an even better tournament this year. Sharpe was clearly the heart and soul of the UCLA attack, and seemed to score his tries when his team needed them the most. Locked in a 0-0 game with fellow pool favorite Penn State, Sharpe broke free for a 70 meter try run for the only score of the match, ensuring the Bruins started off the tournament on the right foot. He then added a try against Dartmouth in UCLA’s Quarter-Final victory, and almost singlehandedly kept UCLA in its Semi-Final match against Cal, scoring two of the team’s three tries.

The other player who stood out all weekend was Kutztown’s Vetekina Malafu. Overshadowed by star teammates Niku Kruger and Mike Lawrence in the leadup to the tournament, “The Flyin Hawaiian” did not stay that way for long. He burst onto rugby fan’s radar with a breathtaking display of speed in Kutztown’s opening match victory over Norte Dame and never looked back. Malafu would eventually tie Sharpe and several others for the tournament lead with 5 tries, including one against Cal that ended up being the last play of the entire tournament.

Most Clutch Performer

Although some will argue that because he only played in four matches he should not be eligible, to me there was only one choice for this accolade. It is true Dartmouth lost in the Quarter-Final round, but if it weren’t for the play of Madison Hughes they wouldn’t have even been there in the first place. Hughes twice led Dartmouth back from almost certain defeats in pool play.

It started against Notre Dame. Down 17-5 with around 5 minutes to play, Hughes broke off a beautiful 50 meter try run to get his squad back in the match. He then scored the game winning try minutes later and kicked the conversion to win 19-17. Even so, that was but a warm up for what he would do later in the day. Down 14-7 to Kutztown with 6 seconds to play, Hughes broke off a long run down the right sideline to score the much needed try. Even after the try however, Hughes still needed to convert an incredibly tough kick from along the right sideline. With ice in his veins, Hughes slotted the kick with ease. Any one of these plays would have been enough to warrant discussion as the clutch player of the tournament but together they left no doubt as to who truly deserved the honor.

Most Impressive Team

If this award was given out after pool play it may have gone to Life for its dominant defensive run, but in the end there was only one choice. Cal was far and away the best team in the tournament from start to finish. They flat out dominated 4 of the six teams they played, and even in the final the outcome was never truly in doubt. Cal’s offensive attack was relentless, as Seamus Kelly, Jake Anderson, and Andrew Battaglia all tied for the tournament lead in tries with 5 each. It’s defense was just as good, shutting out one team and holding two others to just a single try. Perhaps what says the most about how dominant Cal truly played, was that the low point of the tournament for them was arguably losing the second half 14-12 to Temple in their first match. After that first game, Cal had nothing even remotely close to a down game and proved once again that they were the preeminent program in college 7s at the CRC.



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Poll Tuesday: Will The Eagles Beat Scotland?

June 3, 2014, 10:09 pm
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Once again last week's poll didn't work. Hopefully the problem is fixed this week. If not, feel free to cast your vote in the comments. This week's vote is simple; we want to know if the Eagles will beat Scotland. In the three previous meetings between the teams Scotland has won all three. That said, the Eagles now have a number of experienced players from the top leagues in Europe and have played Tier I nations close over the last several years. If they are going to beat a Tier I nation now may be the time as they face a struggling team. However, Scotland are still a strong nation that brings a lot of players from a team that appeared in the RaboDirect Pro12 final.

As always, make sure to vote and have your say.
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Opening Kick

June 4, 2014, 7:42 am
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Opening Kick is a segment devoted to bringing you all Eagles and U.S.A. Rugby news in one location. It is brought to you everyday by Rugby Marketplace, your independent rugby store! 

Grubber is joining in the excitement of the U.S.-Scotland match by offering $5 off anything in the store, including the 50 States shirt, with the code: GOEAGLES

National Teams:

Universal Sports caught up with Mike Tolkin at training to get his thoughts on the upcoming matches.

Scotland's Ruaridh Jackson is expecting a tough match against the U.S. with the heat playing a factor.

Former All-American scrumhalf and captain Tom Bliss will be joining the London Wasps Senior Academy next season.

The Women Eagles have selected their 30 woman roster for their tour to the UK.

Club/College:

The schedule and format for the Elite City 7s is out. You'll want to read it twice to get the format although it should be interesting.

Take the jump to read more.

The CRC is still generating a lot of discussion. Yesterday we advocated the CRC changing location as well as looked at some of the positives from the tournament.

Pat Clifton says it is unfair to paint the CRC as the villain while Allyn Freeman looks at the past five years of the tournament.

Coaches from both New York and Ontario thought the Super 7s format had a lot of promise.

Alex Goff has more on the Utah Lions and their win in Philadelphia as well as a round-up of state high school champions.

He also a looks at an impressive Penn State women's 7s team who get many of their players from New Jersey.

World:

Frederic Michalak is set to get the start at fly-half for France despite not starting for Toulon.

Former 7s star Cornal Hendricks will make his Springboks debut against the World XV after the starters were announced.

Want to see one of the faster tries on record? Enjoy.

Kyle Eastmond has been called up to the England squad in place of Billy Twelvetrees.

In player movement James Hook has joined Gloucester, Craig Clarke has been forced to retire due to concussions, Fabrice Estebanez has joined Lyon who have also signed Deon Fourie, and George Whitelock is signing with Panasonic in Japan. 
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Video: Eagles Look Forward To Scotland

June 4, 2014, 10:05 am
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Universal Sports was out at training and caught up with several of the Eagles ahead of Scotland.



Take the jump to read more.







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Real-time Sports App Providing Fans Coverage

June 4, 2014, 11:41 am
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http://real-timesports.com/
Sponsor Release

Overlooking the Delaware River, the rugby Gods could not have created a more picturesque setting for the world’s most primal sport and the CRC last weekend. While the Men’s CRC portion garnered all of the television attention, the NSCRO 7s, Women’s CRCs and High School Championship were also being held in Philadelphia. We know you rugby-aholics out there needed every detail of every match and Real-time Rugby was there to help.


The Real-time Sports team has crafted a platform unseen in the rugby community. Real-time scoring, detailed match events, as well a way to interact with the rest of the rugby crazed society. When a user follows a match they no longer have to go through the trouble of tracking down the scores and the right information. Real-time Rugby will send updates directly to their phone.

Take the jump to read more.

All the scores, substitutions and misconducts are time-stamped. For each match event that occurs, users following that specific match will receive alerts keeping them in sync with the action on the field. If you missed the action in Philadelphia and don’t want to repeat that mistake in the future downloading this app is essential. The app is a gift to the technologically starved rugby community.


Real-time Rugby is not a one time phenomenon. Next weekend, June 7th 2014, the best 7s players in the country will be converging on Houston to join USA vs Scotland on the main stage. The Elite City 7s is a twelve team tournament made up of regional all-star teams from around the country. The winner will advance to the World Club 7s in Twickenham and join their fellow patriots, the New York City 7s. This tournament and the USA vs Scotland will be showcasing some of the highest talent in the country. All of the matches however will not be televised. Once again the best place to turn will be the rugby revolutinaries, Real-time Rugby. Live coverage with detailed results in one location. What more could a rugby enthusiast ask for?

The app can be found in the Google Play Store or in iTunes.


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NYRC Women's 7s Headed To Bermuda

June 4, 2014, 12:45 pm
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Press Release

On June 7th, New York Rugby Club's Women's 7s team will kick off the summer season with a mini-tour to Bermuda as part of a week-long event to promote rugby. The NYRC women will play the Dark and Stormies of Bermuda at the National Sports Centre, followed by an international match featuring a star-studded Bermuda Barbarians side taking the pitch against the Aviva Premiership Saracens in The Big Game 2014.

"We couldn't be more excited to participate in such a great event," said Koma Gandy Fischbein, one of NYRC's 7's coaches. "We look forward to competing against the Bermuda 7's team and enjoying the hospitality of the Bermuda Rugby community."
Take the jump to read more.
The team will resume training upon their return to the US under Coaches Koma Gandy Fischbein and Maura (Weikman) Wiese. They will be supported by NYRC's Head Coach, Wil Snape, who led their 15's program to a highly successful spring season.

NYRC Roster, Bermuda Tour, 2014
Adria Orr (Brown University)
Angela Yue (Princeton University)
Autumn Neubarth (University of Michigan)
Ciara Lehane (SUNY New Paltz)
Fontaine Lloyd (Penn State University)
Juliette Conte (Columbia University)
Leah Wylie (Colorado State University)
Lisa Roselin (Sacramento State)
Mary McCarthy (University of Michigan)
Mel Pastuck (Dartmouth College)
Monika Rozkowska (Colorado College)
Naomi Oberman-Breindel (Brown University)
Traveling Reserve: Rosalie MacGowan (Le Moyne College)
Coach: Koma Gandy Fischbein (Harvard University)
Admin: Sarah Litt (SUNY Buffalo), Jaimee Nelsen (Siena College)
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New England College Reigns Supreme In Small College 7s

June 4, 2014, 1:45 pm
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 Press Release

The second NSCRO National 7s Championship was held in conjunction with the USA Sevens CRC 7s event at PPL Park in Chester, PA this past weekend and was a great success!

Led by the combination of NSCRO's 2013 Player of the Year, Jay Muniz and the multi-talented Anthony MacQueston, New England College (NEC) found out that the ol' New Hampshire saying of "4th time is the charm" is really true...with their victory over New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) in the final of the 2014 NSCRO National 7s Championship 22 to 14.

Take the jump to read more.

 

55 of the overall 215 NSCRO Men’s teams competed in 8 regional qualifiers in order to play in the NSCRO 7s Championship. The 8 participating teams, who qualified for Nationals based on the results of 8 NSCRO Qualifying Tournaments held throughout the country, looked well prepared and ready to play. They represented their schools and small college rugby very well both on and off the field.

Pool A:

University of Richmond (UR), Richmond, VA
Sonoma State University (SSU), Rohnert Park, CA
Susquehanna University (SU), Selinsgrove, PA
Valdosta State University (VSU), Valdosta, GA

Pool B:

Lafayette College (LC), Easton, PA
New England College (NEC), Henniker, NH
New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU), Las Vegas, NM
University of North Florida (UNF), Jacksonville, FL

The first semifinal saw Pool B winner New Mexico Highlands handle Pool A runner-up Richmond 31-0. In the 2nd semifinal Pool B runner-up New England College defeated Pool A winner Valdosta State 36-7. A 'tip of the hat' goes to Valdosta State whose club is just 3 years old. In their first year in NSCRO league play, they qualified for both the 15s and 7s national playoffs.


About New England College, Henniker, NH

In 2013, NEC finished 3rd in NSCRO 15s and was a semifinalist in NSCRO 7s. This year, they lost a close match to St. John's University in the NSCRO 15s final. So this was their 4th time in an NSCRO "final 4" in 2 consecutive years....and now they have finally reached the pinnacle of success. If you are not familiar with NEC Lions Rugby...their program was defunct for a long time until Jeremy Treece convinced the school to re-start the program in 2011. In their initial year...they played "friendlies" are they organized their structure. In their first season of league play in the New England RFU was Fall 2012, they went undefeated and then won the NSCRO Northeast Region Championship. Their accomplishments in their short 2-year history are quite remarkable. Oh...also factor in that they have just 500 full time undergraduate male students!

About New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, NM (that's right, not Nevada)

NMHU although founded in 1992 by Dick Greene was just admitted to the Eastern Rockies Union "Frontier" NSCRO league last Fall to give them their first real opportunity to compete as a collegiate club against similar small colleges. NMHU has less than 500 male undergraduates enrolled. They finished 2nd in the Frontier league and then 3rd in the NSCRO Cowboy Cup in March and wound up ranked #13 in NSCRO 15s (out of 215 clubs)....a remarkable accomplishment for sure.

All 4 teams that played on Sunday were provided with NSCRO team trophies and gift certificates courtesy of World Rugby Shop. In addition, gold player medals were provided to NEC and silver medals to NMHU, along with the MVP trophy to NEC's Anthony MacQueston.

NSCRO provided free live web streaming of all of its 15 matches via www.LiveSportsVideo.com. Over 1,000 connections were on line over both days allowing thousands of fans worldwide to watch the action. A DVD of all 15 NSCRO Championship event matches is available for purchase. The DVD Order Form is available on the NSCRO website. Please submit order by June 27.

NSCRO thanks Brad Kilpatrick and World Rugby Shop for their continued support of NSCRO. World Rugby Shop is proud to be the official online retailer of the National Small College Rugby Organization. Visit WorldRugbyShop.com today for all of your team wear, replica, and player gear needs. If you support Small College Rugby – then show it with NSCRO apparel found at www.worldrugbyshop.com/NSCRO. A portion of each sales purchase goes to NSCRO and supports small college rugby.

NSCRO thanks United World Sports for bringing the NSCRO 7s to the CRCs and especially Steve Albrecht and Donal Walsh for their support of small college rugby.

NSCRO thanks Neumann University (Aston, PA) and their staff for hosting the NSCRO 7s Pool Play at their excellent facility.

NSCRO thanks PPL Park and its staff for providing an outstanding venue for our semifinals and final.

NSCRO thanks all of the match officials - referees and ARs - for their work.

NSCRO thanks Todd Bauders and Andy Lewis of Contrast Photography for capturing the live action and team photos.

NSCRO thanks Jeff Ashe and Ashley Cameron for the live web streaming coverage and Matt Robinette for the match commentary.

NSCRO thanks its recently appointed Social Media Coordinator, Brian Wells, for his support in bringing NSCRO into the "new world" of social interaction through Facebook and Twitter. If you haven't done so already....

LIKE NSCRO on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NSCRORugby

Follow us on Twitter at @NSCRORugby

The NSCRO 7s Championship was well-organized and managed by Howard Kent, long-time organizer of the Denver 7s Tournament.

With 2 years of successful 7s complete, NSCRO looks forward to preparing for the 2015 National Small College Rugby 7s Championship.
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Who Will Start For The Eagles On Saturday?

June 4, 2014, 3:08 pm
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The Eagles are headed to Houston with 28 players to face Scotland. Soon head coach Mike Tolkin is going to have to narrow his roster down to 23 players. Some of the players to make the final cut are pretty clear. For instance Mike Petri is the only scrumhalf on the roster and Chris Wyles is the only fullback. That said, several positions, including lock, center, wing, and prop have a number of players fighting for time Here is who we think might get the nod. As always, it's just guessing.

Prop is one of the biggest battles on team. Tolkin brought five players--Eric Fry, Olive Kilifi, Titi Lamositele, Shawn Pittman, and Nick Wallace--and it's likely that four will make the gameday roster. It's a tough decision because all five have been starters at one point in their careers and all five bring different elements to the game. Some players excel in the scrum while some excel in the open field. Scotland isn't the same scrummaging team as Ireland and Italy which may play a factor into the eventual decision. If that is the case look for Eric Fry and Shawn Pittman, the go-to starters over the last few years--to get the selection. If scrumming is emphasized it's not out of the question to see Kilifi start again but at the same time left off the team all together if they go with field play.

Take the jump to read more.
Lock is another position with several players angling for time. Samu Manoa is making the trip and is a lock (pun intended) to start. Hayden Smith, Lou Stanfill, and Tai Tuisamoa are the other options at the position. Smith and Stanfill are the most experienced but Tuisamoa offers a level of physicality that could shock the Scots. When he was paired with Manoa against  Russia last year they were devastating. However, the strength of the Scotland teams lies in their locks and Tolkin may want to put out his most experienced squad. That would mean Manoa and Smith. It's unlikely that both Stanfill and Tuisamoa make the bench and given Stanfill's versatility being able to play in the back-row look he probably gets the nod.

In the backs the battle from fly-half, center, and wing should be intense. Folau Niua and Shalom Suniula are the current options at fly-half. With Suniula also providing cover at scrumhalf and potentially fly-half it seems logical that he starts on the bench in case something happens to Petri or Niua.

On the wings Blaine Scully is an automatic starter but it will be between Tim Maupin, Luke Hume, and Miles Craigwell to see who starts. If Tolkin is going for defense he is going to pick Maupin but if he wants to shake it up on offense Hume is the option. With Scotland having very deep backs we think that Maupin starts with Hume on the bench.

In the centers Tolkin is also faced with interesting choices. Andrew Suniula should get the start at inside center and if Niua is playing fly-half then Seamus Kelly should start at outside center. However, if Tolkin elects to start Shalom Suniula at fly-half it could mean Niua slides into the centers. Then there would be an interesting choice between him and Kelly. That said, we think that Niua is fly-half and Kelly starts. It will be between Chad London and Troy Hall to be the back-up with only one spot likely on the bench. London seems in the best form at the moment.

Of the two remaining spots on the team--hooker and back-row--the decisions are pretty straight forward. Phil Thiel will start at hooker while Tom Coolican will be on the bench. In the back-row Todd Clever, Scott LaValla, and Cam Dolan will all start barring something crazy. Danny Barrett and Kyle Sumsion are the back-ups at if past selection is any indication than Sumsion will probably be on the bench.

1. Shawn Pittman
2. Phil Thiel
3. Eric Fry
4. Samu Manoa
5. Hayden Smith
6. Todd Clever
7. Scott LaValla
8. Cam Dolan
9. Mike Petri
10. Folau Niua
11. Tim Maupin
12. Andrew Suniula
13. Seamus Kelly
14. Blaine Scully
15. Chris Wyles

16. Nick Wallace
17. Titi Lamositele
18. Tom Coolican
19. Lou Stanfill
20. Kyle Sumsion
21. Shalom Suniula
22. Chad London
23. Luke Hume

Missing out: Barrett, Kilifi, Hall, Craigwell, Tuisamoa
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Rugby Marketplace Player of the Week: Mike Lawrenson

June 4, 2014, 5:45 pm
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Every year the Collegiate Rugby Championship has one team that comes out and surprises people. And while the probably shouldn't be considered a surprise, Kutztown was that team this year. The Golden Bears played a hard, physical style of rugby led by All-American Mike Lawrenson, who is also the Rugby Marketplace Player of the Week. Lawrenson was at the heart of everything Kutztown did over the weekend, including taking Cal to the limit in the final. Lawrenson is an extremely tall player but that is only part of this strengths. He has great footwork, passes the ball well, and generally has strong rugby knowledge. All of that was apparent over the weekend and made him our pick for the best player.

Rugby Marketplace is your independent rugby retailer. No frills, just rugby. We aim to bring you some of the amazing things that have fallen through the cracks. That can be books, boots, balls, odds and ends, accessories, or anything thing else that comes our way. Help support independent rugby and shop Rugby Marketplace!

http://rugbymarketplace.bigcartel.com/
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Opening Kick

June 5, 2014, 7:34 am
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Opening Kick is a segment devoted to bringing you all Eagles and U.S.A. Rugby news in one location. It is brought to you everyday by Rugby Marketplace, your independent rugby store! 

Grubber is joining in the excitement of the U.S.-Scotland match by offering $5 off anything in the store, including the 50 States shirt, with the code: GOEAGLES

National Teams:

The starting line-up for the Eagles should be announced at any time now. Here is who we think might get the nod.

Several of the Eagles spoke with Universal Sports about Scotland and the rest of the summer series.

Pat Clifton asks Seamus Kelly if the team can take advantage of home field.

Ben Gollings is set to be the head coach of the boys 7s team that will compete at the Youth Olympics.

Take the jump to read more.

Club/College:

Kutztown's Mike Lawrenson has been named the Rugby Marketplace Player of the Week for his work at the CRC.

New England College went home from Philadelphia happy with the NSCRO trophy in hand.

Tom Selfridge will be one of those honored at the Hall of Fame dinner on Saturday.

The New York Rugby Club's women's 7s team is head to Bermuda to play a curtain raiser match before an International XV vs. Saracens.

If you can't make it out to the Elite City 7s this weekend, the Real-time Sports app has you covered.

Allyn Freeman has an update on the status of a potential Super 7s league.

At the youth level Alex Goff notes that the Gonzaga boys and the Pleasanton girls had solid seasons while in Florida the boys and girls all-star teams are getting ready to play.

U.S.A. Rugby has an opening on their College Management Council.

There are several upcoming Serevi Residency Programs in which there will be national team selectors present.

Rugby continues to grow in the inner city with Chicago being the latest.

World:

London Welsh have bounced straight back up to the Premiership after beating Bristol for promotion.

Jerome Kaino is back for New Zealand, something that is a big relief with Kieran Read out.

France have named their starting line-up for Australia and it doesn't include Thierry Dusautoir.

The starting line-up for the World XV that will play Scotland has been announced.

Samoa are ready to take on Tonga this weekend after losing to Japan.

In player movement Harlequins have signed Aseli Tikoirotuma and Exeter have signed Adam Hughes.
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Eagles Could Be Set For Strong Financial Year

June 5, 2014, 10:02 am
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If all goes according to plan this summer and next November the Eagles could see 100,000 fans at their games. Translate that into paid attendance and that is a lot of money. While ticket sales at matches often go towards overhead leaving the hosting team with not a lot of money, as we discuss in our latest RugbyRugby article even a fraction of that attendance going into the coffers of the Eagles could make a major difference. For a team mostly living off IRB grants earning several hundred thousand dollars could allow them to have more domestic assemblies, increased player resources, and potentially more matches ahead of a World Cup year. It should be said that trying to figure out how much money is made off a particular match is nearly impossible but if the rough estimates are correct than the Eagles could be set for the near future.
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Scotland Select Line-up For Saturday

June 5, 2014, 10:39 am
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New Scotland coach Vern Cotter has elected to go with experience in selecting his line-up for Saturday. In total his team has 397 caps led by Sean Lamont and his 86. That said, Scotland will have three players--fly-half Finn Russell, prop Gordon Reid, and flanker Blair Cowan, all receiving their first caps. Some of the more notable names in the team include Lamont. Joining him in the backs is Stuart Hogg and Tim Visser. Greig Laidlaw will man the scrumhalf position and captain the team while Richie Gray and Jim Hamilton form a tough lock pairing.

Forwards: Gordon Reid (Glasgow, 0 caps), Scott Lawson (Newcastle, 43 caps), Geoff Cross (London Irish, 28 caps), Richie Gray (Castres, 37 caps), Jim Hamilton (Saracens, 55 caps), Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan, 38 caps), Blair Cowan (London Irish, 0 caps), Johnnie Beattie (Montpellier, 30 caps)

Backs: Greig Laidlaw (Gloucester, 29 caps), Finn Russell (Glasgow, 0 caps), Tim Visser (Edinburgh, 12 caps), Duncan Taylor (Saracens, 10 caps), Sean Lamont (Glasgow, 86 caps), Sean Maitland (Glasgow, 9 caps), Stuart Hogg (Glasgow, 20 caps)

Bench: Pat MacArthur (Glasgow, 4 caps), Alex Allan (Glasgow, 0 caps), Moray Low (Exeter, 26 caps), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh, 4 caps), Kieran Low (London Irish, 1 cap), Grayson Hart (Edinburgh, 0 cap), Ruaridh Jackson (London Wasps, 23 caps), Max Evans (Castres, 42 caps)
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Elite City 7s Rosters Coming Together (Updated)

June 5, 2014, 12:25 pm
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The Elite City 7s is fast approaching and we've collected most of the rosters for participating teams. Some teams have chosen to go with their most experienced players while a few others are taking more experimental sides in the hopes of gaining experience. There are also a few big names on the rosters as well. Ben Pinkelman, Garrett Brewer, and Nate Augspurger will both included on the Eagles larger training squad for the summer and both over been released to play in the tournament. It should also be mentioned that this tournament follows Olympic rules so all players must be U.S. passport holders.

Take the jump to read more.
In a press release earlier today Boston, which will be the Northeast ODA team, said it will be coached by John McGeachy from Brown with assistance from Steve Lewis (Old Blue) and Kayne Bubb (Mystic River). In the release the organization said: “This will be a terrific opportunity for our local players to represent Boston against the best sevens players in the country. We are thankful for the assistance we have received from Rhino Rugby, the New England and Empire Unions as well as Royal Rugby Boots." Jon Kokinda (Middlesex) was not considered because of injury.

Several other notable names this weekend include a stacked San Francisco team with the likes of Colin Hawley, Jack Halalilo, Brewer, Peter Moala, and Mose Timoteo on the roster. Denver has several star players like Pinkelman, Brett Willis, Max de Achaval, and Preston Bryant. Seattle is taking many players with Eagles experience, including Andrew Durutalo, John Cullen, Kevin Swiryn, Mike Palefau, Peter Tiberio, and Rocco Mauer.

The San Diego side features several players from the OTC and WCAP program. Nu'u Punimata, Eric Duechle, Andrew Lock, Marcus Savatu, Ben Leatigaga, and Will Hoder are all in the military while Pat Blair, Mike Zieger, and Mike Te'o have all been with the Eagles this past year with some of them playing on the Series. 

San Francisco: Jack Halalilo (EPA Razorbacks), Colin Hawley (Olympic Club), Michael Haley (Olympic Club), Kevin O'Connor (St. Mary's), Viliami Huihui (EPA Bulldogs), James Jones (SFGG), Neill Barrett (SFGG), Joe Reavy (SFGG), Peter Moala (SFGG), Garrett Brewer (SFGG), Mose Timoteo (SFGG), Opeti Okusi (SFGG)

Boston: Nate Augspurger (Old Blue), Jared Collinson (Middlsex), JJ Corpuz-Jackson (AIC), Marcus Henderson (Old Blue), Pip Hundley (NYAC), Mike Hunniwell (Boston), Andy Kozak (Old Blue), Evin O'Driscoll (Mystic River), Sean Rafferty (Long Island), Ben Roach (AIC), Mike St. Claire (Old Blue), Duran Vota (Boston)

Seattle: Andrew Durutalo, Anthony Gobern, Ala Tuliau, John Cullen, Josh Bower, Kellen Gordon, Kevin Swiryn, Mike Palefau, Mike Nelson, Peter Tiberio, Tim Stanfill, Rocco Mauer

San Diego: Nu'u Punimata, Pat Blair, Eric Duechle, Mike Ziegler, Les Spellman, Andrew Locke, Marcus Savatu, Chris Turori, Ben Leatigaga, Mike Te'o, Will Holder, Cam Freeman

Denver: Logan Collins (Denver Barbarians), Ben Haapapuro (Denver Barbarians), Ben Pinkelman (Colorado State), Brian Wanless (Colorado), Mike Garrity (Denver Barbarians), Brett Willis (Glendale), Max de Achaval (Denver Barbarians), Ata Malifa (Denver Barbarians), Hunter Leland (Denver Harlequins), Jon Gray (Albuquerque Aardvarks), Kevon Williams (New Mexico Highlanders), Preston Bryant (Glendale)

Salt Lake: Josh Anderson (BYU), Jacob Morrison (Utah), Kisa Kalougata (Provo Steelers), Scott Strong (Utah), Will Taylor (BYU), Taylor Thomas (Utah), Sydney Lauti (SLCC), Jordan Lowry (BYU), DC Christensen (Utah), Nata Lauti (Utah), Austin Griffin (Snow Canyon), Taylor Johanson (Snow Canyon)

Philadelphia: Greg Ambrogi (Schuylkill River), John Wynder (Schuylkill River), Tyler Barberi (Baltimore-Chesapeake), Glenn Thommes (Wilmington), Chris Mattina (Wilmington), Mitch Vannoy, Kris Raso (Rowan University), Ben Janssen (Penn State), Selby Niumataiwalu (Penn State), Walt Elder (Kansas City Blues)

Ohio: Zack Stryfeller, Ryan Cochran, Kelly Kolberg, Dom Mauer, Dominic Pezzutti, Derek Patick, Kamerson Moeller, Pete Friedman, Ryan Grote, Perry Baker, Santino Cua, Ty Elkins

Dallas: Joe Bardwell (Dallas Harlequins), Phil Bolton (Dallas Reds), Spencer Cameron (Dallas Reds), Dylan Carrion (Arkansas State), Paul Eteaki (Fort Worth), Gannon Moore (Kansas City Blues), Jon Moore (Tulsa), Tim Moxness (Dallas Harlequins), Sean O'Sullivan (Dallas Harlequins), Kevin Schwartze (Kansas City Blues), Kenny Scott (Kansas City Blues), Cody Weber (Kansas Jayhawks)

Chicago's roster came in after we published. 

Chicago: Derek Fish, Eddie Bluemel, Jeremy Nash, Kevin Garbis, Matt Lancor, Joel Cohe, Mason Baum, Zach Biemens, Sonny Adjei, Jordan Highberger, Brad Harrington, Mike Houston

So did D.C. and Houston. A HUGE thanks to Doug Coil for finding these rosters.

D.C.: Nicholas Flynn (Norfolk), Broderick Flynn (Navy), Gret Suellentrop (PAC), Cecil Garber (Norfolk), Justin Bourgeois (Raleigh), Matt Hughston (Charlotte), Zach Miller, Detwan Robinson (UNC), Bobby Allen, Tom Francisco (NOVA), Trevor Tanifum (Maryland Exiles), Alan Rhodes (Roanoke)

Houston: Kenneth Hepburn (HARC), Matt Radzavich (Austin Huns), Will Burns (San Marcos Greys), Chris Slater (HARC), Levi Kereti (Austin Blacks), Chance Doyle (NOLA), Brad Vaughan (Austin Huns), Conor Mills (HARC), Chris Saxon (Woodlands), Pete Kanicki (Austin Blacks), Bobby Johns (NOLA), Alex Liles (Austin Huns)

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Trivia Thursday: What Was Last Year's USA-Ireland Attendance?

June 5, 2014, 2:30 pm
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It's Thursday so that means it's once again time for trivia. Every Thursday we will be asking you a new trivia question and thanks to our partners at Grubber we will be giving out a $5 off coupon code to one random winner every week. You have until Saturday, June 7th at 11:00 p.m. et/8:00 p.m. pt to either tweet your answer to @teamgrubber or write it on their Facebook page.  Please make sure to follow or like them in the process.

Last week we asked you how many times the U.S. has beaten Japan? The correct answer is 12.

Today's trivia question is: What Was Last Year's USA-Ireland Attendance?

As the makers of fine sporting apparel Grubber offers rugby fans high quality options to support popular teams around the world as well as an increasing supply of American-inspired designs. Check them out at www.weargrubber.com.



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How Much Will The Heat Impact The U.S. & Scotland?

June 5, 2014, 4:00 pm
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Yes this is Stephen Moore.
Without question it is going to be hot on Saturday in Houston when the Eagles play host to Scotland. According to weather.com the high on Saturday is supposed to ready 92 degrees fahrenheit (33 degrees celsius) with 72% humidity. Hot. The low in the night should taper down to 75 degrees (23 celsius) with 82% humidity. Still hot. Anyone who has lived in humid places knows exactly how much it physically drains you. The game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. local time with the sun setting at 8:20 which means there should be a good amount of sunlight for most of the match.

The heat is going to impact that match on Saturday but it the consensus is the Scotland is going to suffer in the heat more than the Eagles. Scotland isn't exactly the warmest place on earth and due to the global rugby calendar Scotland rarely has to play matches in a warm place. They get Southern Hemisphere teams at home in the winter and then travel to the Southern Hemisphere in the summer. The last time Scotland played somewhere warm was in the summer of 2012 when they travelled to Fiji and Samoa, two matches in which they came out winners.

Take the jump to read more.
All that said Scotland have players that have had a lot of experience and know how to deal with the elements--Stuart Hogg, Sean Maitland, and Richie Gray all played for the Lions against the Barbarians in Hong Kong last June. The coaching and training staff have known that they are going to be playing in these conditions for months. The team has also been in Houston all week training and adjusting to the heat. Will it still take a lot out of the team? Absolutely but they have tried to mitigate those factors as much as possible.

The U.S. haven't been talked about as much as being bothered by the heat but they are still going to be impacted. Most of the probable U.S. starters ply their trade in England or France. Those places aren't as cold as Scotland but they still aren't accustomed to the temperatures that await them on Saturday. Even among the domestic guys it isn't the norm to play in the extremely hot summer months. However, they still will have more experience playing in these types of conditions than Scotland which should be in their favor. They have, after all, played in Houston the last two years.

The way teams deal with the heat and humidity is to slow down the game and to use substitutions early. You saw Ireland last year really slow down the game with scrums and generally walking in dead ball situations (eventually the ref had enough of it which was nice to see). Scotland may not be able to do that as much this year which should play into the Eagles hands as they like to get out and run. The bigger factor is likely to be substitutions. Scotland is going to have a more depth that the U.S. which means the U.S. starters either needed to last longer and at a high-level or the subs will have to make a major impact. Whoever wins the substitutes battle will likely win the game.

And although it will be hot for fans (being from Seattle I don't even own shorts!) at least they can cool off with a nice beverage.
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Eagles Name Starters Scotland Match

June 5, 2014, 5:42 pm
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Our Eagles summer series coverage is brought to you by Grubber. Grab the 50 States shirt and get $5 off your order with the code: GOEAGLES


The USA Eagles have announced the starting lineup for Saturday’s match against Scotland at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.

Although there were several surprises among the announced names, for the most part the lineup picked by the Eagles’ coaching staff was in line with expectations.

By far the biggest name missing from the line-up was star lock Samu Manoa. The former SFGG star is one of if not the most well-known of the Eagles’ players and it was assumed he would be assured of a starting spot. Unfortunately it seems as if he will not be able to make the trip to Houston at all, meaning the team will be without one of its most experienced and battle tested members.

Take the jump to read more.

Starting in his place will be Louis Stanfill. Although Stanfill is not nearly the household name that Manoa is, he made an impression on the coaches during the second leg of qualifying. He did an admirable job replacing Hayden Smith, and on Saturday the two will be paired together and will look to combat Scotland’s powerful and experienced lock combination of Richie Gray and Jim Hamilton.

Another slight surprise was the addition of Olive Kilifi at starting prop. Kilifi made his first appearances for the Eagles’ this past November but has been used primarily as a sub in the past. One thing Kilifi will certainly do is to help the Americans in a spot they are not particularly strong, the scrums. Traditional starter Shawn Pittman was left off the roster entirely and will not make the trip to Houston.

One place that there were no surprises were at back row and in the back line. The back row starters were largely as expected, including Cam Dolan, who is fast becoming a fixture at 8-man for the Eagles. In the backs Seamus Kelly will follow up his victory with Cal in the CRC and will start at outside-center.

Overall the Americans will bring a very athletic, if somewhat unexperienced, squad against Scotland. The youngsters will need to gain experiencd fast as they will certainly be tested by the veteran Scots.


Men's Eagles | Reserves
16. Tom Coolican
17. Nick Wallace
18. Titi Lamositele
19. Tai Tuisamoa
20. Danny Barrett
21. Folau Niua
22. Chad London
23. Tim Maupin
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